Censorship in Russia exists due to too many state media - Medvedev

January 25, 2012, 16:18 UTC+3Organisation of various media may be a possible solution, he said

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MOSCOW, January 25 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev is sure that censorship in Russia does exist, and mostly because of the excessive number of state-owned media.

“In some cases, the state in the wide meaning of the world ‘polishes’ the situations /in media/,” he said during a meeting with students of the Moscow State University on Wednesday. “This is equally true about both federal and regional media.”

“Not a single official would want to be ‘chewed over’, and should he have an opportunity to influence, this is what he does,” the president added.

Organisation of various media may be a possible solution, he said.

“We have too many state-owned media organisations,” he said. “Speaking about channels, besides two formally state television channels – the First and VGTRK, there is NTV, owned by Gazprom, and a big number of regional channels under control of local officials.”

“This is why the idea of public television should be revived in this country,” Medvedev said. “The outstanding question is on what basis.”

“At what expense will this media exist? We should establish a different, non-state, source of financing, and are working on it now, so that this television uses an independent source.”

“But not money from oligarchs,” the president said referring to the 90s, where “one channel dumped another one.”

On December 22, presenting the state of the nation address to the Federal Council, Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev suggested organising public television on the basis of a federal channel.

“Generally, for improvement of public communication, we should use all modern technologies,” the president said. “I suggest deciding shortly how to organise public television, possibly on the basis of an existing federal channel.”